JUST IN: Court Adjourns Trial of Ex-NIWA MD Over Alleged Auction of Agency’s Vehicles

JUST IN: Court Adjourns Trial of Ex-NIWA MD Over Alleged Auction of Agency’s Vehicles

A Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital, on Monday adjourned the trial of Bola Oyebamiji, former Managing Director of the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), over allegations that he oversaw the public auction of vehicles belonging to the agency while in office.

The case was instituted by a Kogi-based lawyer, Dr Julius Elukpo, who dragged the immediate past NIWA helmsman before the court under the Freedom of Information Act 2011.

In a letter dated April 9, 2026, addressed to the acting Managing Director of NIWA, Dr Elukpo alleged that nearly all of the agency’s vehicles were sold off through public auctions last year, shortly before Oyebamiji’s resignation.

The lawyer is demanding full disclosure of the details surrounding the sales, including the make, year of manufacture, and year of purchase of each vehicle, the amount realised from each sale, and the identities of the individuals, bodies, and organisations that purchased them.

Beyond the vehicle sales, Dr Elukpo is also seeking a list of NIWA staff from Levels One to Six along with their states of origin, as well as an explanation for the continued disrepair of the Lokoja-to-Shintaku jetty. He further questioned why most of the agency’s top management staff reside and operate from Abuja, and is demanding to know who bears the cost of their accommodation and transportation.

Monday’s scheduled hearing failed to hold after counsel representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Minister of Transportation were absent from proceedings. The plaintiff, however, insisted that the hearing should have proceeded, noting that all parties had been duly served with the court summons.

Counsel to NIWA was present in court and has since filed a counter-affidavit, with the plaintiff expected to respond within seven days.

Dr Elukpo expressed displeasure over the absence of the other respondents, stating that they had all been served with notice of the proceedings last month.

Presiding judge, Justice Judith N. Binjin-Eigege, adjourned the case to September 28, after the court’s annual vacation, for continued hearing.

Naija news channel